The pulse of architecture in the world today As always, TASCHEN is doing its best to keep up with the fast paced world of architecture by continually producing guides to the world's best designers and projects. For the third volume of our Architecture Now! series, we've included many new and exciting names as well as recent projects by perennial favorites.

We tend to divide buildings into two basic categories—private structures such as houses, and public buildings like railway stations, concert halls or museums. Public buildings have limits of their own: whether a courthouse or an airport, a stadium or college campus, questions of style, function or cost are clearly posed.

We tend to divide buildings into two basic categories—private structures such as houses, and public buildings like railway stations, concert halls or museums. Public buildings have limits of their own: whether a courthouse or an airport, a stadium or college campus, questions of style, function or cost are clearly posed. Resolving such tensions is just one of many serious questions that arise when the definition of public architecture is at stake. This book explores the most creative responses to these and related issues, and shows how in recent years, public architecture has undergone a tremendous upheaval, an aesthetic awakening of sorts.